


the matelotage

by stephenssupreme



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Gay Rights, IronStrange, M/M, mlm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-02-10 01:35:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephenssupreme/pseuds/stephenssupreme
Summary: Tony and Stephen are rivals in their worlds but there's more to it than that - an agreement they made in their sailing youth. They parted ways, however, and men change. Can they find a unified path now or is it too late?





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> alternate universe to cover up the pain of endgame? hell yeah *hits that tearful whip*

“Pull him up!” Stark yelled at the top of his lungs, already pacing down to rear of the ship to haul up some rope that was wrapped up on the deck. Seemly, he had to do everything around there, his crew all fumbling around despite their clear orders. “Parker!” He looked over to a young looking lad with messy brown hair half covered by a bandana.

“Yes sir?” The boy stood to attention, pulling his hands out from his pockets.

"You’re our strongest swimmer and… Let’s admit, the lightest of us all. Take this end of the rope and jump down there to tie it around the bastard. Hold onto him tight enough and we’ll pull you both up to deck.” With a tight smirk, Tony held out some rope which Parker instantly took from him.

Kicking off his boots, the young lad clambered up onto the side of the ship, taking the rope from there: “you can count on me, Captain.”

“Ugh, don’t call me that - just get down there before the sod drowns to death.” And with that, Tony gave him a light shove, not to physically push him but to tell him to hurry up. “You remember the knots I taught you, Pete?” He called down just as Peter crashed into the water, though thankfully he had heard him, nodding enthusiastically as he started to bind the stranger up in rope. He couldn’t see much of the man, his long wet hair clinging to his face along with the blood that covered his skin. He was slim but certainly built at the same time, just like any other pirate in all fairness.

“Right sir, ready!” Peter shouted up, wrapping his arms around the man’s torso, ready for when the crew with the other end of rope started to pull them both back aboard. Both bodies landed with a thud against the wooden deck, Peter quick to undo the knots he had just done.

“Good work, boy - go and get dried off - I’ll deal with this. Samuel. James. You two help me get him down into the sick bed…” Tony’s voice then lowered into a gritted whisper; “he has information worth more than a thousand ships could get us, we ain’t letting him die before he talks.”

 

* * *

 

Hours had passed and Tony had not left the chair beside his ‘guest’s’ bed, not willing to risk the chance of escape. Finally, however, the wait paid off and with a spluttered cough of water and blood, the dark-haired man finally awoke, heaving for breath as he tried to sit up, only to find he was tied down and confined to his bed.

“Where am I?!” He blurted out in a panic, only to calm right back down as soon as he laid eyes on Tony’s face. “Oh… Makes sense now. It’s been a while, Stark.. You know, I’m almost tempted to say I’ve missed your —”

“Shut up, Strange!” Tony snapped back, cutting him off from saying what he expected to be an idiotic comment. “You’re lucky we found we found you and I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t bring you back for anything personal - I just want the location of The Eye.”

Stephen’s face suddenly appeared more interested, his brows lifting a little at the mention of The Eye. “And what if I refused to give it to you? What then?”

“Then I’ll find it myself and throw you back in the ocean.”

“And let this pretty face drown? Come on now, we both know you wouldn’t dare do that. We made an agreement that day on the dock.” Stephen Strange was an odd fellow - annoying calm with his words and blunt with his looks. His questioning eyes didn’t leave Tony’s for a moment. Sure, he was a little bloody and bruised, his knotted hair reaching his shoulders… But under all that he was a handsome man to say the least. The goatee was a hit or miss, frankly, but he styled it out with a few gold rings weaved into it.

Stark bit down onto the inside of his lip to stop himself from shouting at the man. If he was going to be irritably calm, so would he. “An agreement you broke, remember,” he told him softly. “Matelotage. Pfft, what a joke. You left for the next available ship.

“I may have done that… But the matelotage still stands. If I had died, all I owned would have been yours.” Strange paused, before adding; “if you had come and collected it, that is.”

“Bullshit.”

“No. It’s true - even the location of The Eye might have been yours. Kill me to find out, I suppose.” A smug grin pulled at his lips of the fellow pirate, a wound on his cheek slightly oozing as he did so and yet the man did not wince at all.

 

Having had enough of this quarrel, Tony stood up and turned his back on the man, his hands on his hips as he let out an annoyed sigh.

“Now, now… You have me all tied up and I can’t come and comfort you in this moment of dire distress, Anthony,” cooed the man, his head rolling onto its side against the chicken feathered pillow. Tony was different to how he had remembered him to be. He had shorter hair now and had started to go grey just like he had himself, yet he managed to hide a little better for now. He also noticed Tony’s stubble grew thicker by his chin now, almost resembling a goatee much like his own now. One thing that didn’t change? His eyes… He had always admired those dark eyes, smokey pigment surrounding them to stop the glare of the sun. Tony Stark was…

“Piss off!” Tony growled before storming out of the room, making sure to put out the lamp before he left so that Stephen was left in the dark. God, he hated that man. He knew just how to get under his skin, and worse… His clothes, in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so........... gay pirates. you're welcome. don't worry, the more this story goes on, the more you'll get links to 'doctor strange' and 'iron man'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen is settling into his life aboard the ship and Tony attempts to see how he's doing

A couple of weeks had gone by, Strange having been set free from his confinements after just a few days. Tony figured the man would be more use working on the ship than taking it easy down in the cabins. Of course, he never once mentioned The Eye and avoided the topic whenever it was brought up. A pain? Yes, however, Tony couldn’t bring himself to just leave Stephen abandoned on a scolding island simply because he refused to give him some information. He still had other matters to settle with this man.

 

“Parker?” Tony called down from the upper deck, looking down on the boy who was currently setting up a rat trap.

The boy’s head shot right up, attentively looking up at his captain; “yes, sir?”

Tony simply gestured for him to come up the stairs, turning his back on his crewman to look out at the blue horizon.

“What can I do for you, Capt--? Sorry. Stark.” Peter forgot his captain hated being called that very title and instead preferred being called by his name. He never knew the reasoning behind that but quite frankly, was too wary to ask.

“I need you to spy on one of your shipmates, Parker. Do you think you can do that?”

“Do you expect a mutiny?!” Peter asked in hast, keeping his voice low as he did so.

“No! Oh, god no. Shush, calm down, boy. No… It’s our ‘new’ guy.”

“Strange? Do you not trust him?” It was brave of the young man to ask so many questions but if he was about to spy on someone, he’d prefer to know at least some details on the matter.

“Oh I trust him. Perhaps I trust him too much… I just need to know how he’s spending his down time because I’ve noticed he only ever talks to you lot when he’s working - when he’s alone, he’s completely alone. I want to know why.” Explained Tony, tapping his fingers against the wooden railing in front of him. “Is that too hard of an ask?”

“Definitely not! Consider it done. You can trust me, Mister Stark.” Peter was smiling proudly, not expecting Tony to turn around as he did so - in a panic he almost dropped the smile but it persisted as soon as Tony’s hand landed softly on his hair to ruffle it around.

“I know I can, kid. You can trust me too.”

“I know… Thank you.” Peter sunk away from his captain’s hand and rushed off to start his task, though keeping in mind to not make his intentions too obvious.

 

* * *

 

Stephen Strange appeared to be oblivious to his situation, going about his day as he normally would have done, today’s job being to rig up a new sail in preparation for a storm they were expecting to arrive in the coming days. It was tiresome work and the sun seemed more brutal than she had ever been. “Oshtur you cruel woman… To make me work in such heat must be your doing,” he muttered to himself, his hand reaching up to wipe away a thin sheet of sweat that had formed upon his brow.

 

Little did he know, his ears were not the only ones to hear that sentence.

 

Despite being told to only spy on the man during his resting hours, Peter took it upon himself to listen in on the newcomer whenever he could - all information had the potential to be useful information, after all. As for whoever _Oshtur_ was… He hadn’t a clue. That’s what made it feel even more important.

 

Later that day Stephen retreated to his quarters, or… So he should have. Peter had carefully followed the man, sticking to the shadows as he did so but just as Stephen opened his door, he glanced over his shoulder and shut the door once more. Odd. He walked back the way he came, Peter only just managing to scurry around a corner to remain out of view. Where the _hell_ was Strange off to? On a ship of all places. The man was cautious as he silently moved around, checking every corner before he proceeded, eventually opening the door to the dry storage room, a candle already lit in there from what peter could see from a distance. He didn’t dare follow him inside that room knowing fully well that it was a dead end and Stephen would quite quickly realise someone was in there with him.

 

The young lad stood idle in the shadows for a few minutes, debating his cause of action but before long he felt too irritable, bored of waiting for nothing to happen. He was a man grown. He had to take initiative and in this case, taking initiative meant tip-toeing his way towards the door to open it so it hung just ajar. Enough line of sight for him to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

 

To his surprise, the man was sat on the ground and Peter also fell back on his ass when he realised Stephen was _facing_ him but thankfully, he quickly realised his eyes had been closed. He was sat incredibly still, the back of his open hands resting on his knees as he breathing in a slow rhythm. Peter had never seen anything like this before and was sure it meant something and was unwilling to risk another minute stood there watching the man so made a run for it as quietly as he could.

 

Unknown to Peter: as soon as he turned his back and left, an eye opened on Stephen’s face, though not one of his two eyes already present. It was a third… A golden one that rested just above his brows.

 

* * *

 

“Sir! Sir! Mister Stark! Wake yourself!” Hissed Peter through the wooden door of the captain’s private cabin. It would be a few seconds before he got an answer, Tony opening the door with sleep still in his eyes, wearing nothing but a pair of breezy pants and his necklace made of pure gold.

“Wh… What do you want at this hour, Parker?” He asked, squinting down at his crewman in tired agony.

“It’s Strange! He’s been acting, well… Strange. He’s been-”

“Stop.” Tony held up his hand to shush the boy. “Just tell me on the morrow, it’s late and we need all the rest we can get before that storm hits because I’m telling you, lad - we ain’t getting a wink of sleep when that beast hits us.”

“Oh… Okay. Apologies. I’ll come back tomorrow, sir. Sorry.” Peter bowed his head a little as he backed away, embarrassed that he was so careless with his actions.

 

Closing his eyes, Tony shut the door the door again, letting out a soft sigh as his hand went down to lock it again.

 

But before he could.

 

There was another knock.

 

“Parker… I told you to go to bed,” groaned the disgruntled captain.

 

And yet there was another knock.

 

“For fuck sake, what do you want, boy?!” He huffed as he swung the door back open, his jaw dropping as he saw someone else standing there. Stephen. Stephen was stood there, his arms crossed, his face scrunched up in away he hadn’t seen it before.

“I don’t appreciate you sending a child to spy on me, Stark. Let alone a skillful one.”

“Sorry? What? I don’t know what you’re on about,” Tony lied, trying to play it off as if Stephen was throwing around accusations without any proof.

“I saw him. I saw him run straight back here. Tell me I’m lying again. Please, I implore that you do.” The man’s arms then uncrossed, his hands reaching up either side of the door frame, either side of his head, his presence much larger now, blocking out almost all of the moonlight.

“You’re imagining things.” Tony insisted, his eyes suddenly a lot more awake than they had been before, staring his rival dead in the eyes. “Why would I get someone else to do my own work?” He added.

“Because you’re too scared to come close to me. Scared of what you’d do. Or that you’d fall back on old habits, perhaps?” Stephen was starting to lean closer, his expression lesser one of anger now, more so cockiness if anything.

“You really think that highly of yourself, hm?” Tony asked, his tongue peaking out the corner of his mouth to gently lick his own lips. “Pitty. I always thought you looked better after a fight or two.” And with that he stepped back and slammed the door shut once more, the heavy wood landing right on Stephen’s face with a hard thud, the sound of a crack echoing into the cold night.

“What the fuck was that for for?!” Growled Strange from the opposite side of the door, his hands instantly cupping his own face, stopping the blood from his nose hitting the floor.

“Payback.” Tony simply put.

“For what?”

“You know what.” There was a pause. “Depending on how bad that was, though… We may be at equals now. If so… Talk to me tomorrow, we can discuss over some rum?” He proposed, not moving too far away form the door just yet.

“I’d much rather prefer wine,” replied Stephen, his voice muffled by his hands.

“Of course you would. Rum it is, then. See you at sunrise, Strange…”

  
There was no answer, but Tony listened as a pair of footsteps slowly faded away into the darkness. Damn that man… He was such a confident ass when he wanted to be. He couldn’t help but wonder, though… What _had_ Peter seen that was so urgent?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies in advance but the next chapter will be very dialogue heavy, but it will fill in a lot of gaps in regards to the 'backstory' and things like that :) let the pining continue!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out...

The two men, opposite each other on a large wooden table in the cabin, sat in silence - the only sound being that of them taking a sip of their drinks. It was rum after all, Tony holding his ground on that decision. Frankly, when it came to the impending conversation though, Tony did not know what to say.

 

“It still fucking hurts…” Stephen muttered, gently pressing a finger against the bridge of his bruised and battered nose.

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Because I don't.” 

Stephen pouted sarcastically like a child, mocking how unphased Tony seemed to be despite knowing full well that he was at least a little bit sorry. “If you admit you're sorry I'll tell you what the boy saw. How's that for a deal?”

“Well--”

“Tell you what; I'll let the boy tell you himself and I'll sit quietly and listen to him as he does. Adds a bit of drama. Finesse.”

“Deal.” Tony abruptly agreed, standing up from his end of the table to walk over to Stephen, half sitting on the edge of that side of the table, looking down at the other man. “By the way, if the explanation involves The Eye, I might both pity you  _ and _ give my thanks.” He reached his hand out to rest it on Stephen's shoulder, squeezing there ever so lightly.

 

Despite this gentle act, though… Stephen didn't even spare a glance up at him, instead just saying: “don't get your hopes up, darling… You might not dare look at me after you hear the truth.”

 

Bitter that Stephen wasn't playing along, Tony upped once more, heading out the room without another word. It didn't take him long to find Peter, ushering him along back to the captain's quarters, telling him no more other than to ‘not be worried and simply speak the truth when prompted.’

 

Returning back in, Tony was shocked to find Stephen with his back to them, looking out the window, his hands held behind himself. “You can go on, I'm listening,” he assured them both once the door was shut.

“Alright. Okay. Parker… Tell me what you saw last night.”

“Are you sure, sir? I mean… Maybe I was just tired? I don't even know if I saw--” Peter was cut off by Stephen, however.

“You saw it, kid. It wasn't a creation of the mind, it was real. Tell him.” And thus the man fell silent once more.

“Okay, well… Mr Strange was sat in the store room. Alone. Well, I think he was alone.” The boy paused to see if Stephen would interject but he did not. So he continued: “I looked in on him and his eyes were closed. I thought he was just thinking, or just… Sleeping in a weird way. But like, the whole room was cold and his breathing was really slow and I didn't think he saw me. Wait. When did you see me?” Both Peter and Tony turned to look at Stephen as he asked this and both of them were speechless at what they saw.

What they didn't realise was Stephen had turned to face them too but two of his eyes were shut. One other one remained open. A third, golden eye above his brow. “ **_L i k e   t h i s…_ ** ” His voice echoed, his lips not moving though.

 

Peter stumbled back, grabbing Tony's arm as he did so. Tony shrugged him off though, his feet dragging him forward in awe. “The Eye…” He whispered, astounded beyond belief. Once close enough, he reached up to touch Stephen's cheek, his concentration not wavering from the golden eye. “How can it be…? Why didn't you tell me?” He then broke his gaze from the eye to glance back at Peter. “Leave. Don't tell a soul about The Eye. If you do, I can't promise you'd stay aboard… Go!”

The young man nodded, sweat dripping down his face from fear. “Aye, sir. Not a soul.” And with that he stumbled out, slamming the door behind himself.

  
  


By the time Tony looked back at Stephen, the eye had disappeared and Stephen was once more himself. His own eyes looked mucher sadder than usual, a tiredness in them that Tony had never seen before.

“The reason I left you that night… The Eye… I learned of where to find it. There was a boat in the dock Captained by an old man people called the Ancient One. Apparently it only docks once every one hundred years and I panicked. I wanted to find it for  _ us _ .” Stephen's voice seemed rushed, worried about what reaction Tony would have yet relieved to finally let it out.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Was all the other man asked, lifting his other hand so both of them were holding Stephen's cheeks now.

“The Ancient One told me The Eye - the eye of agamotto, it's called - required a sacrifice and I didn't want you to get hurt. Not after our matelotage I just… I wanted to find it and bring it back for you but I didn't realise that The Eye wasn't an object. It's a title… I-”

“-am the eye?” Tony asked, everything finally piecing together after weeks of confusion. “What does that mean though? Are you still the man I promised myself to or…” Fuck. He was getting choked up. He really didn't want to care this much but he did and he couldn't stop himself.

“I am. For now. Agamotto may eventually take hold of my body but for now… I am yours and I am sorry.” Stephen closed his eyes with a sigh, glad he had the relief of not being the only person to know anymore.

 

“And I'm sorry for slamming a door in your face,” Tony said in an amused tone, trying not to think about the seriousness of it all. When in pain, joke your way out of it. That was the Stark way. To stop any verbal protests from the other man, Tony then kissed him, one of his hands slipping round to the back of his head, fingers tangling in Stephen's long hair.

 

It brought him back to their first night together...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and i oop--


End file.
